# When I was little, I did this along with a whack of other things **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2022, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627 "2022-02-16T20:36:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PozhanPop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pozhanpop/32/8022_2.png) [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/1 "2022-02-16T20:36:58Z")
The negativity and hopelessness around me is really bringing me down. Wallowing in nostalgia makes me feel a wee bit better. Here are some of the things I did as a kid. I was pretty happy in my own company. 1. Pry open a D size battery to get the smooth carbon rod and the steel caps out. I found it quite satisfying. 2. Use my dad’s pen knife to stab trees especially banana trees 3. Try to get the blades out from twin blade cartridges that my neighbor used to throw out and use them to sharpen my pencils 4. Adding alcohol to permanent markers to make them last a little more longer. They were hard to come by back then. 4a. Split regular pencils and try to use the lead for my prized mechanical pencil. 5. I was crazy about small DC motors and LEDs and used to spend hours making fans and cranes. 6. Hang around houses with good hi-fi systems, hoping they would soon play a record 7. Make lenses by knocking the base of a light bulb and filling it with water. Burned myself a few times doing it. Also used it to project film slides using a flashlight. 8. Make hydrogen balloons with cigarette foil, lime and another ingredient that I forget now. 9. Get in dad’s car and pretend I was driving for hours. 10. Watch about half a dozen toads that lived in the pit where the water meter was. 11. Tuning the shortwave receiver Rest of the time, I read. : ) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/2 "2022-02-16T20:40:04Z")
- I sliced the bottom of my foot with a Swiss army knife “to see what would happen.” Uh…what happened was what you’d expect to happen. - Was 6 when I told a flight attendant “I haven’t decided” when she asked what my name was. (I had believed that everyone changed to a new name at some point, and thought I was overdue) - Made “submarines” out of clear LEGO-like blocks for the ants in our house. The LEGOs were airtight when combined together, so I put ants in the submarines in hot bath water. They ran frantically faster and faster due to the heat. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/3 "2022-02-16T20:52:08Z")
We spent a lot of summer days melting crayons and harassing ants with magnifying glasses. We created rock gardens along what we called a “creek” but was more accurately described as a drainage ditch. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/4 "2022-02-16T20:52:31Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Made “submarines” out of clear LEGO-like blocks for the ants in our house. I liked to make mazes out of Lego for earwigs. Unfortunately the earwigs were too clever for me, and found tiny cracks and recesses in these constructions to squeeze through: they rarely made it all the way through the maze before escaping. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/5 "2022-02-16T21:00:14Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > I liked to make mazes out of Lego for earwigs We made mazes for our gerbils out of wooden blocks. They weren’t that interested in finding the other end. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/6 "2022-02-16T21:08:42Z")
Take an electric train variable output transformer outside to a bird bath and electrocute mosquito larvae. ---
**Author:** ![PozhanPop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pozhanpop/32/8022_2.png) [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/7 "2022-02-16T21:12:48Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Made “submarines” out of clear LEGO-like blocks for the ants in our house. The LEGOs were airtight when combined together, so I put ants in the submarines in hot bath water. They ran frantically faster and faster due to the heat. That is awesome ! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/8 "2022-02-16T21:21:42Z")
> [@PozhanPop](#): > > Pry open a D size battery to get the smooth carbon rod and the steel caps out. I found it quite satisfying. I had a book (published by Ladybird Books) that contained instructions for children on how to take apart a battery to get zinc strips and carbon rods ---
**Author:** ![PozhanPop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pozhanpop/32/8022_2.png) [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/9 "2022-02-16T21:33:35Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I had a book (published by Ladybird Books) that contained instructions for children on how to take apart a battery to get zinc strips and carbon rods Unfortunately I could never find any further use for the carbon rods and strips. Too young for chemistry I guess. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/10 "2022-02-16T23:46:12Z")
I’ve forgotten the details, but we would dig a trench, build a bridge over it and arrange little army men all around the trench and bridge. The trench would get filled with a mixture of (??) which we would ignite, creating a blazing river. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/11 "2022-02-17T00:15:24Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I sliced the bottom of my foot with a Swiss army knife “to see what would happen.” Uh…what happened was what you’d expect to happen. When I was in preschool, I stuck my finger under the stapler and stapled it, to see what would happen. In all fairness I don’t think I really understood how staplers worked at that age. Of course what happened was I pricked my finger with a staple. And I didn’t tell anyone, because we weren’t allowed to use the stapler and I was afraid I’d get in trouble. I once shorted a 9V battery with a paper clip, which made the paper clip get really hot. I thought that was really cool, and I wanted to show my younger sister. So I went up to her and was like “Hey, touch this paper clip.” So she did, and promptly burned herself. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/12 "2022-02-17T05:46:10Z")
When I was 7, I had a bad habit of replying “yes” or “no” to questions I did not understand. Some kid asked me if I was a virgin. I had no idea what a virgin was, so I said “no.” ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/13 "2022-02-17T12:57:07Z")
Kitten races: I put two cats on the starting line. They would eventually wander off. The first one that passed the winning line would win. And on the other side was the losing line. If one passed that line then it lost. I made a water system at a place in the yard where there wasn’t grass. It had lakes, rivers, dams, etc. Then turn on the hose and watch the water flow through the system. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/14 "2022-02-17T13:34:01Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve forgotten the details, but we would dig a trench, build a bridge over it and arrange little army men all around the trench and bridge. The trench would get filled with a mixture of (??) which we would ignite, creating a blazing river. - Reminds me of this story from my youth. > **[Leiningen Versus the Ants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiningen_Versus_the_Ants)** > > "Leiningen Versus the Ants" by Carl Stephenson is a classic short story published in the December 1938 edition of Esquire. It is a translation, probably by Stephenson himself, of "Leiningens Kampf mit den Ameisen" which was originally published in German in 1938. > Leiningen, the owner of a plantation in the Brazilian rainforest, is warned by the district commissioner that a swarm of ferocious and organised soldier ants is approaching and that he must flee. Unlike his neighbours, Leiningen is no... > When the ants reach his estate, Leiningen seals it by filling a [moat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moat) that surrounds it on four sides, the fourth being a river. The ants attempt to cross over by covering the waters with tree leaves, but he thwarts them repeatedly by emptying then flooding the moat. Eventually, the ants breach that line of defence and the men **retreat behind a second moat, this time filled with [petrol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline).** Leiningen is able to incinerate several waves of attack, but runs out of petrol when the pumps malfunction. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/15 "2022-02-17T13:37:13Z")
Wow. I wish I knew what we filled the trench with. It wasn’t gasoline. I think it was thick and I think we mixed several liquids together. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/16 "2022-02-17T14:24:17Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > I made a water system at a place in the yard where there wasn’t grass. It had lakes, rivers, dams, etc. Then turn on the hose and watch the water flow through the system. I did exactly the same thing. I also made little boats, which sailed through the system as the water flowed. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/17 "2022-02-17T14:30:59Z")
When I would stay at my brother’s place in the summer, another boy and I would make stilts out of scrap lumber. We would also make slingshots out of sapling forks, using strips from old innertubes for the elastic, then decorate them by burning designs in them using a magnifying glass. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/18 "2022-02-17T15:08:38Z")
We’d make forts in the woods. I don’t think we ever really played in them after they were completed. The fun was finding the perfect spot, clearing it, and finding different rocks that would make good chairs, plants that we’d pretend were food, etc. They were never wooden structures, just a cleared-out space under big trees. In the spring when the snow was melting and water was running everywhere, we’d build dams or try to force the water into a maze of “rivers”. In the summer, we’d collect different flowers, pine needles, etc., and make perfume. We’d also capture frogs, bugs, minnows and create a zoo. We’d always let them go after a few hours. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/19 "2022-02-17T15:20:26Z")
> [@PozhanPop](#): > > Tuning the shortwave receiver A few days back I had reason to find a photo of me at 13 sitting in front of my ham radio transceiver. Unfortunately, every time I hit the code key all of the televisions in the neighborhood had black bars on the screen. My dad and I tried all kinds of filters and tweaking but it was still imperfect. To put things in perspective, an iPhone broadcasts somewhere around 200-300 milliwatts when it’s happy, and it can reach a tower 7 miles away. My ham radio produced 120 watts at the antenna: 500 times as powerful. When I hit the code key, the lights dimmed, the radio hummed, and neighbors cursed. My mom put an end to my radio career about two years later. ---
**Author:** ![PozhanPop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pozhanpop/32/8022_2.png) [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627/20 "2022-02-17T15:44:33Z")
Thank you so much for these warm stories. I am 8 again : ) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-little-i-did-this-along-with-a-whack-of-other-things/959627.md?page=2)